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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — electric
  5. club — for golf
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — magic
  14. spring — a coil
  15. club — a group
  16. land — a country
  17. spell — a short time
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — what's left
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com